Fresh Artists, project partners, and community members celebrated the unveiling of the Eagles Nest Garden & Gallery at Thomas Finletter Academics Plus School n Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood. The celebration coincided with the school’s annual back-to-school celebration.

Named after the school’s mascot, the “Eagles Nest” is an immersive outdoor art park, featuring sculptural elements, edible gardens, and reading benches. The result is a radical transformation from an empty concrete space into a sensory-rich area where students can learn, grow, and be inspired.  The project is the result of a dynamic partnership between Fresh Artists kids from Finletter staff (led by art teacher Elizabeth Tyler with support from science teacher Suzanne Blattstein), David Green of Primex Garden Center, Adam Aquino of Behr Paint and Pennsylvania Horticulture Society. 

Kids used FA's signature Chip Art -- a program created by Master Art Teacher Robyn Miller, that invites artists to use obsolete, recyled paint chip samples, donated by Behr Paint, to create mosaic masterpieces.

The project was awarded a 2017 Picasso Project grant from Public Citizens for Children and Youth.